Clamps or chucks, for use in holding the two parts of a board or panel together after a saw cut has been made and is continuing are known to the art. One form of such a clamp is shown in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,076,228 entitled "Kerf Clamp" dated Feb. 28, 1978. It is an object of the invention to provide an improved clamp or chuck of this nature.
Whenever a lengthy saw cut is made through a relatively large piece of material, such as a wood panel, for example, there is the problem of holding the two pieces of material, in their original relative position while the saw cutting continues across the remainder of the piece of material. This is a common occurrence and has been experienced by almost everyone making a cut into a large piece of material. Saw horses and other means of support are only a partial solution to the problem. The clamp of the U.S. Pat. No. 4,076,228 referred to above presents a solution to this problem. Such devices or clamps comprise a base part to be disposed on the under side of the saw cut or kerf, a member extending through the kerf attached to the base part, a cover part to be disposed on the upper side of the kerf of the material being cut and some form of screw, for example, a thumbscrew arrangement for holding the parts together, one on each side of the saw kerf.
The clamps of the prior art are relatively bulky and are difficult to use. Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved kerf clamp or chuck which will obviate the disadvantages of the prior art.